Posts Tagged: London fashion week 2009

One of the perks of working in the fashion world is the access to fantastic parties! The press office at Harveys was kind enough to extend an invitation to the PPQ after party at the Mayfair Hotel last Saturday night. Now I don’t know anyone that turns down an invite to mingle with the fashion crowd and enjoy an open bar all at the same time. It’s like heaven in a hotel.

And the crowd was jumping…the party was lined with celebrites including Peaches Geldof, Nadine Coyle, Fearne Cotton, Alexa Chung, Henry Conway, Jodie Harsh, JLS and Brix Smith-Start, to name a few, as well as the PPQ crew themselves – Percy Parker & Amy Molyneaux.

DJ’s the Broken Hearts kept the party bouncing while we were all sipping gorgeous cocktails from the sponsor – personal fave was Harveys paired with lemonade. There was even a top-hatted performer in a martini glass! I mean do parties come better than this these days?!

We all got to leave with a goody bag with a limited edition bottle of Harveys for the tube ride home! Oh wait, I mean I waited to crack it until I was in the comfort of my own house….

Thanks PPQ and Harveys for showing Fashion Foie Gras a good night out! It’s nice to get away from the blue computer screen every once and a while. And congratulations on a fantastic show….

I say this every season and every season that passes I come out on top – Basso and Brooke are the best “printers” in the fashion business. Every single dress is a work of digital art and I imagine every woman that buys a piece feels like she has walked straight off the walls of the Tate Modern. There’s not much more to say here. Just look at the fantastic presentation – it says it all.

You have to hand it to Michael Herz, the man behind this year’s outstanding Aquascutum Spring/Summer show. Aquascutum, along with several other labels this year, have experienced great heartache in facing possible closure due to financial issues.

However, Herz proved that sometimes the best thing you can do for a label is threaten to shut it down. He turned it all around and reminded the fashion world why we need Aquascutum in our lives. Herz dug deep and pulled out brilliance.

He presents us with inspired trenches and long shabby chic patterned dresses all with a twist that seems to come straight from post-war Britain. The English tradition continues and will for at least a few more seasons with a new owner taking the helm.

The one thing I loved about the Eighties was the extremity of the fashion displayed. Things were either bright or pastel, ridiculously loose or skin tight, revealing or super-conservative.

Nicole Farhi brought back these extremes in full force at her beautiful show in London’s Royal Opera House this year.

Her lineup this year was full and loose flowing fabrics and with a boob tube here and there! I mean when was the last time you saw a boob tube? Fabulous! It’s all “easy like Sunday morning” and ready to wear straight off the catwalk.

Stripes feature throughout on the textiles, some clean, others without clear structure but all heading in the right direction to please fashionistas everywhere.

I like to imagine Farhi wondering the streets of London finding inspiration from random women. This might not be too far from the truth as the shapes displayed here are made for women of all sizes and translate well from a size zero to a size twelve.

It is a shame when a designer gets press for a stunt at his show rather than for the show itself. However, it is also a work of marketing genius.

Mark Fast decided last minute to use two “plus size” models in his show this year at London Fashion Week. And after the announcement was made his stylist and creative designer marched out in a huff citing “creative difference.”

Really who walks out on a show simple because a different body shape is used to showcase roughly half a dozen of the designs? Ludacris!

But rather than playing into the media hype let’s talk about the designs themselves.

Texture is a huge part of the show. I found myself wanting to run my hands over the creations, particularly the lavender petal and nude knit dress – pictured on the left above.

The designs are form fitting but not always flattering. And sadly, as displayed herewith, you see that these items of clothing, if not all black, were in fact made to be worn only by twiglets.

If you do have curves I am afraid the grabs of the fabric only announce to the world that you have rolls to spare.

By far the winner at London Fashion Week thus far. What a phenomenal show, Katrantzou!

I would say this is one to watch but the truth of the matter is she is creating amazing pieces now so why wait for the future. Her magical prints are a feast for the eyes and create twists and turns on the body for form and flattery.

Each model that took to the runway created a ripple of excitement throughout the viewers on the day of the show. We saw Chinese ancient Chinese painting influence mixed with new wave design focusing on the beauty of blown glass.

Educated at the best of the best of design schools, including RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and Central Saint Martins, it is not surprising that we should see such fantastic artistic talent with the sophomore collection from this newcomer. I want more and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next season!

About

Name: Emily Johnston
Age: Permanently in my 20s - aren't we all ladies?
Relationship status: I'm going to leave this one a mystery

You aren't here to read about me, you just want to know what I think about anything and everything fashion orientated. But just to put you in the picture, I'm an American turned Brit who's constantly between cities, soaking up style from far flung locations across the globe. I spend a lot of time flying to Los Angeles - place that's a feast for styling eyes. London comes a close second, though, both in heart and soul. You can wear anything there, and I mean anything. How liberating. I work in PR - is it just me or does everyone say they work in PR these days? - and stand head and shoulders above the rest, probably because I'm easily over 6ft 4in in heels!